A Time To Tell
by demonicanimegeek
Summary: As Ritsuka comes close to finding the truth behind his brother's involvement with Septimal Moon, his strange relationship with his fighter is put in jeopardy by a health class video. Rated T just to be safe. SoubixRitsuka hints


This fic began as a question posed during Health class (not to the teacher of course), "What would have happened if Ritsuka had seen a video on touching safety?" Enjoy the result of putting fangirls in school

Disclaimer: I do not own Loveless, even if I plan on cospaying as Seimei at my next anime convention.

Yuiko looked at the clock near the door. As the minutes ticked on she felt her excitement turn to disappointment. Ritsuka was absent again. Yuiko sighed and began to doodle in her notebook.

"Good morning Yuiko-san!"

Looking up, she saw Yayoi standing by her seat.

"Oh hello Yayoi-kun," she replied. She tried to hide the lack of her enthusiasm. It wasn't his fault the person she wanted to see wasn't at school. Sensing her depression, Yayoi just smiled and walked away. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know what to say. Besides, Ritsuka was his rival for Yuiko's attention. He certainly wasn't upset by Ritsuka's absence.

Some of the girls in the room gave Yuiko a pitying look. They had picked on her earlier in the year, making her carry their things, smashing the jar of jam she had brought for Ritsuka, but they couldn't help but pity her. When Ritsuka wasn't at lunch they tried to get her to sit with them, but she would always refuse. They couldn't understand her obsession with the newest student.

A few minutes later Shinonome-sensei came into the classroom wheeling a TV on a cart. The class watched, all wondering which staff member had trusted their spastic teacher with electronics. Students in the middle of the room hurried to move their desks out of the way. The TV almost fell off the cart several times, but she eventually managed to get the TV in front of her desk.

She waited for the students to give her their attention, and began roll call.

"Aoyagi Ritsuka?" she asked more out of habit. His mother had been calling him in sick for several days now, so she wasn't surprised to see the seat next to Yuiko empty. She was about to move down the list when the door slid open. A breathless Ritsuka stood in the doorway.

"I'm here sensei!" Ritsuka told her as he bowed in the doorway, partially out of respect and partially to catch his breath.

Yayoi gave a resigned sigh. The moment Ritsuka had come into the room Yuiko had been practically jumping up and down in her seat from excitement.

As he took the seat next to Yuiko, Shinonome-sensei and Yuiko both seemed the notice the new bandages on Ritsuka's face. Both couldn't help but wonder if Ritsuka was indeed having trouble at home. Yuiko knew better than to say anything though, because Ritsuka would only get angry. Instead she would enjoy his presence at school for the day.

"Ritsuka-kun!" she tried to say in a whisper as the teacher continued with attendance, "how are you feeling?"

He paused for a second, as if he wasn't sure why she would ask that, but he caught himself.

"Much better," he said. "Oh, and thank you for the flowers," he added.

Yuiko looked delighted and embarrassed when he thanked her for the gift that his mother had destroyed.

Yuiko started to chatter to him about the latest book he was having her read. Ritsuka was too tired and had too much on his mind to focus on what she was saying. Why would Soubi's old teacher Ritsu tell him to come to Septimal Moon? He wanted to learn more about Seimei, but it had to be a trap…

Ritsuka was relieved when Shinonome-sensei called the class to order; Yuiko had to remain quiet, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Nervous, their teacher began, "We…we have the TV today so that we can watch a movie. The….the principal has required us to show this video to our students…." She appeared to lose her train of thought. Blushing, she moved on, "Your PE teacher is out sick today, so you'll be watching it in here," she finished. Several of the more immature students sniggered, guessing the nature of the video they would be watching. Their teacher's face changed to a darker shade of red as she could hear jokes about her ears being whispered.

She then tried to turn the DVD player on, but the assortment of buttons on the controller seemed to overwhelm her. Yayoi felt sympathy whelm up for their teacher. He sighed and got up. He and a few other students managed to get the DVD to the title screen within a minute. When they sat back down their teacher began reading from a booklet from the company that had made the movie.

"This movie is called "A Time To Tell". We feel that as you students are getting older, you should be aware about situations that could compromise your safety, and that you should be educated on how to handle them," she finished.

Ritsuka forced himself to pay attention to the TV screen just in time to see "A Time to Tell" fade from the screen. A group of highschoolers was on screen in different uniforms, and began talking about safety. As the corny introduction progressed, the amount of laughter in the room increased. Shinonome-sensei tried to quiet them to no avail.

"One in seven adults will be molested before the age of twenty-one," A student told them.

"The term for a person who prefers children, male or female, as their sexual partners, is called a pedophile." Another said. "Sexual molestation is the unwanted, inappropriate touching of another."

Ritsuka felt a blush rising in his face. He couldn't help but think of the tall stranger that he had met not so long ago. When he had met Soubi, a little voice in the back of his head had been trying to see him, but the tall man that claimed to know his brother had drawn him in; like a moth to a very bright light. Despite the fact that his life had become very strange after Soubi entered his life, Ritsuka was now so much closer to finding the truth about his brother. But what they were saying…he couldn't help but remember his first meeting with Soubi, and his blush deepened.

"And sometimes it's not only girls all the time, isn't that right, Oonishi-san?" a girl with a too large smile said on the screen. "Young men are too often the object of sexual molestation too. They feel too embarrassed to report anything, and blame themselves."

"That's right Miyake-san. Sometimes adults that we trust can try and take advantage of a situation. They give you special treatment, and confuse you by giving attention. They try and tell you that there's nothing wrong with what happens, or they make you think that it's all your fault." A boy with another too large smile answered.

"But it's not your fault!" another boy interrupted, looking at the camera seriously. "Don't be embarrassed, because it's not your fault. Tell an adult immediately! If you can't get to your parents, then tell a trusted adult immediately, like a teacher or friend's parent."

"That's right." The first girl said. "The worst thing that you can do is not tell anyone."

"Could it be…is Soubi a pedophile?" Ritsuka couldn't help but wonder. He shook his head. Of course not! Soubi was his fighter! He had protected him from the strange pairs that had attacked him since Septimal Moon expressed interest in him. If it weren't for Soubi, Ritsuka would still be in his room, bound to a chair. Even though he knew it was foolish to put your trust in people, or to vow bonds, Soubi had said that every one of Soubi's touches, embraces, and even kisses was proof of their bond as a pair, as Loveless.

"A molester is normally known to the child, or the child's family," another student added. "He seduces his victims by being attentive, giving them gifts, sometimes treating them better than their own parents do. Sadly, he often targets adolescents who are already victims of emotional loss or parental neglect."

The high schoolers faded out of the picture, and different actors appeared on the screen. They began to act out scenes where adults tried to take advantage of children. As Ritsuka watched, he felt embarrassed. He slid down in his seat, trying to become invisible.

"No uncle Joe, I don't want to do this!"

"Aw, come on Justin, your parents will never believe you. Besides, it's late out. You can't leave now."

"They'll be home soon, and I'm not going to stay here."

The students came back on screen. "As you can see, Justin followed the four R's. He recognized the situation, he resisted, he ran, and then reported."

Several students sniggered at the scene, others at the funny western names.

Ritsuka shook his head again. So what if what they were saying could be applied to Soubi? There was no way Soubi could be…

Yuiko, who had been paying attention to the entire movie so far, started to feel worry build up. She looked over at Ritsuka, who was slouching in his chair. She couldn't help but think of the strange man that was constantly with Ritsuka. She shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts from her head. Soubi was their friend! He would never take advantage of Ritsuka. But as more scenarios were acted out, Yuiko couldn't help but compare them to Ritsuka and Soubi. Soubi always waited for Ritsuka after school, he had Ritsuka's cell phone number, and even had a key to Ritsuka's house. She knew that he went there sometimes, because only last night she had confessed her worries to Soubi about Ritsuka's absence from school. Soubi had even said Yuiko made him feel like an older brother…but she couldn't help but remember a few suggestive jokes she had heard Soubi make.

"Jenny, you're much better than the other girls on the team, but you still need to make sure you stay ahead of the competition. I'd hate to see you lose a chance at a scholarship. Hey, I'll tell you what, how about I meet with you after school to help you train? After all, you need to have strong leg muscles to do well in soccer."

"You really think I have a chance at a scholarship? Thank you coach!"

"Here Jenny failed to recognize the situation she was being put in," another student said to the screen.

"Jenny made a mistake by not listening to her inner conscience and reporting the coach's attention. But the best thing to do is prevent anything from happening in the first place. That's why these steps can be important. The four R's: recognize, resist, run, and report."

"Recognizing the situation is an important step, because if seen in time, it is possible to prevent abuse from an adult," another said. "If the situation can't be stopped then, it is important that you resist."

Resist? Okay, maybe Soubi did act inappropriately sometimes. But he was Ritsuka's fighter! Ritsuka had been through too much to give up on his search now. And there was no way he would be able to find Septimal Moon without Soubi. Ritsu-sensei had told him the location, but how was a middle school kid supposed to get that far by himself? No, he would need the help of adult, Soubi. And if it was a trap? No sacrifice could protect themselves without their fighter…

Ritsuka put his head on his arms as the movie continued. The debate inside of his head continued. When the movie finally ended, their teacher said, "Everything that the movie said is absolutely right children. If something is happening to you, it's not your fault," she looked directly at Ritsuka when she said this, "it is important that you tell an adult right away. If anyone needs to talk, I'm available after school," she said. Ritsuka broke eye contact with her first, and tried to regain his composure. Things weren't like that between him and Soubi. 'Soubi could be a pervert sometimes,' he finally admitted to himself, 'but he's not a pedophile,' He kept repeating this in his head as the day went on, like a mantra. Yuiko tried to keep his attention at lunch and for the rest of the day, and Yayoi even tried to talk with him several times. He knew that he replied, but he couldn't remember anything that was going on around him. Sensing his distraction, the two finally left Ritsuka alone when the day was close to being over. Yuiko sighed. She was really trying to get closer to Ritsuka-kun, but she was no closer than the day she met him.

Looking out the window, as class was about to end, Ritsuka saw a flash of yellow and purple out of the corner of his eye. Directing his full attention at the window, he could see a tall figure in a purple coat lighting a cigarette, leaning against the school gate. 'Of course he would come today,' Ritsuka told himself. 'He always comes to get me after school,'

Yuiko looked out the window where Ritsuka's gaze was directed. She could barely see Soubi standing by the gate. He flicked his cigarette butt onto the sidewalk. Shinonome-sensei was going to get angry with him again for smoking outside of the elementary school.

"Aoyagi-kun, Hawatari-kun, would you mind rejoining us for class?" Shinonome asked the two students. Nothing was more annoying than trying to teach at the end of the day; her students never paid any attention.

Finally, it was the end of the day, and Ritsuka slipped out the door as quickly as he could. He didn't have to spend time packing like the other students; he would be ditching school tomorrow to go with Soubi to Septimal Moon. Schoolwork wasn't on his priority list at the moment.

Yuiko watched him leave, feeling disappointment. She had at least wanted to walk home with Ritsuka-kun, but Shinonome sensei had asked her to remain after school to discuss her grades. While Ritsuka had encouraged her to do better in school, her grades were still terrible. She had asked Ritsuka-kun to wait with her after school at lunch, but he must not have heard her.

Ritsuka stood on the top floor, looking out the window. Other students poured past him, eager to leave school. Zoning out, still arguing with himself in his head, Ritsuka didn't realize he had left reality until the figure turned to look up at the window. Catching Ritsuka's eyes, Soubi took his cigarette out of his mouth and smiled. Ritsuka felt another blush creep up his face as he hurriedly left the window. Sure enough, Soubi was waiting for him at the gate.

"Did you have a nice day Ritsuka?" Soubi asked his master. He let the remainder of his cigarette drop, and put it out with his foot. Looking at the boy, Soubi noticed that Ritsuka seemed to be upset. Ritsuka started walking without answering the question. Soubi grabbed his arm before he could take too many steps.

"What's the matter, Ritsuka?"

"Nothing!" Ritsuka shouted at him, breaking free of Soubi's grasp. Ritsuka immediately felt embarrassed. Why did Soubi always bring out the worst of his temper?

Soubi looked at him again, concerned, but let the subject drop. He knew better than to push Ritsuka into talking. It would only make the boy angrier. Instead he followed after his master, his long legs quickly allowing him to catch up. When he knew they were out of sight of the school, he pulled Ritsuka close to him as they walked. Rather than being hurt by Ritsuka's outburst, Soubi couldn't help but think how cute his master was when he was embarrassed, when he noticed Ritsuka's blush at having Soubi's arm draped over his shoulders. He couldn't resist planting a chaste kiss on the top of Ritsuka's head.

Feeling Soubi's lips brush his hair, Ritsuka heard a voice inside of his head. "Remember, the first step is to recognize," it said. "The second step is to resist,"

Ritsuka shoved against Soubi's side, pushing the older man away from his body.

"Soubi, you pedophile!" he shouted angrily as he ran ahead. Soubi just stared after him, blinking in confusion.

Sorry for the slight Ritsuka ooc-ness. I wanted to use the more tempermental Ritsuka from the later parts of Loveless, but I wasn't sure how to use that Ritsuka for this plotline, so I tried to use the more innocent Ritsuka in the early volumes. Please review OO

I'm still debating in my head whether or not this should be a one-shot, or if I should add on one more chapter. Please let me know what you think!


End file.
